Westworld
“Have we got a vacation for you.” That’s the come-on for Delos, an adult amusement park that guarantees you’ll have the time of your life. Guests mingle with lifelike robots in three different theme lands, where they can indulge their every fantasy or whimsy. There’s “Westworld,” a recreation of the old West in the 1880’s; “Medieval World,” where you can live like a Knight; and “Roman World,” where orgy’s and decadence are on the menu.
Welcome to Delos, where nothing can go wrong. Yeah, right Almost twenty years before he let dinosaurs loose on unsuspecting tourists in “Jurassic Park,” writer Michael Crichton made his director’s debut with “Westworld,” a tale of technology run amok. Crichton, a former doctor turned novelist turned director, loves to mess with technology.
Just look at the results of “The Terminal Man,” “Andromeda Strain,” “Runaway,” “Looker” and “Jurassic Park.” When it was released in 1973, “Westworld” struck America’s fancy. They loved to watch television heartthrob James Brolin (“Marcus Welby, M.D.”) and big screen star Richard Benjamin (“Goodbye, Columbus”) kick up their heels in the Old West, and then face off against robot gunslinger Yul Brenner in the ultimate showdown.
For Peter Martin (Benjamin) and Blane (Brolin), it begins as the ultimate vacation. $1,000 a day to kill bad guys, rob the bank, ride horses, and have their way with some saloon girls. Their packing real guns that only work when aimed at the robots. Likewise, the robots are also armed, but they are programmed to miss. Then the unthinkable happens. Technology takes a dump, and the robots begin to take on a life of their own.
Now it’s every man for himself as the robots take out their revenge against the human guests. Crichton fought to direct “Westworld,” and got the gig when he insisted he could deliver the goods for less than a million dollars. Utilizing cinematic cheats (hallways lit differently to look like other hallways) and minimal dialogue, Crichton delivered the goods. “Westworld” is a rousing time, filled with all of the expected western trappings (a bar fight, shoot outs, a bank robbery). Both Benjamin and Brolin are likeable characters, while Brenner, aping his role of Chris from “The Magnificent Seven,” is truly menacing.
COMPLETE CHECK-UP
VISION: [ ] EXCELLENT [ X ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.
At first glance, the digital widescreen transfer (ain the film’s original 2.35:1 widescreen ratio) looks great. Gorgeous colors, nice flesh tones. The blacks aren’t nearly as solid as they should be, but they’re not embarrassing. Then the compression artifacts start dotting the print, creating little white specks that don’t clear up until the final credits. There are some flaws on the original negative, which causes a ripple in the transfer every now and then. What’s left looks pretty decent. The color saturation is durable, and the images look sharp (except for a couple of soft interior-lit scenes).
HEARING: [ ] EXCELLENT [ X ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.
The Dolby Digital Stereo Surround soundtrack is nothing more than a Dolby Mono soundtrack with the musical score and some occasional echo effects relegated to the rear speakers. The dialogue mix isn’t the greatest, as some of the lines are difficult to hear. I also noticed that some of the dialogue seemed out of synch, but that could be an ADR problem. Fred Karlin’s playful score sounds okay, but there’s really not much here to write home about. There’s also a French language mono track.
ORAL: [ ] EXCELLENT [ X ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.
English and French subtitles.
COORDINATION: [ ] EXCELLENT [ ] GOOD [ X ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.
The DVD features the original theatrical trailer, main and scene access menus, and an eight-page booklet with interesting insights into the making of the film.
PROGNOSIS: [ ] EXCELLENT [ X ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.
The DVD isn’t the definitive presentation of “Westworld,” but if it’s the best we’re going to get, then I’ll take it.
VITALS: $24.95/Rated PG/89 Min./Color/32 Chapter Stops/Keepcase/#907014
ATTENDING RESIDENT: John Larsen
PATIENT: WESTWORLD
BIRTH DATE: 1973
HMO: MGM Home Entertainment
